Why do you think Drugs are OK?

[curl-6]

SvennoJ said:

curl-6 said:
I don't really care either way about legalizing marijuana, but the oft-made claim that it's harmless is false.

Taking it raises your heart rate and affects its rhythm, increasing your risk of a heart attack.
It also negatively affects memory and learning, and can have a long term adverse impact on brain function.
It raises your risk of respiratory disease, and has been linked to mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. It's even been linked to an increased risk of testicular cancer.


Before anyone pro-pot posts a laundry list of the ill effects of alcohol and tobacco, I'm well aware of them, and I'm not arguing that marijuana should be illegal. I'm just pointing out that the "pot is harmless" slogan is a myth.

I've never heard people saying it's completely harmless, claims are pretty much always that it's less harmful then alcohol or tobacco. Plus people on marijuana tend to cause a lot less trouble then drunk people. Hence the confusion why one lands you in jail while the other is advertised on tv.

I never understood why education on popular vices was never a part of school. STDs are discussed, but not the short/long term effects of alcohol and other drugs. (Maybe it's different now?) Simply telling teenagers it's bad only makes it more interesting.

The effects of drugs and alcohol were covered extensively at my High School. We studied everything from booze and pot to heroin in our first two years.